A Coalition of the VDI Willing

By now it’s become apparent that there are a lot of challenges when it comes to virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), particularly in the areas of cost and performance.

While there’s still a lot of interest in VDI, it’s also pretty clear that IT organizations are going to need to invest in new IT infrastructure to make it happen. Given the current state of IT budgets, that may postpone the mainstream adoption of VDI for quite a while.

The good news is that a VDI Coalition of IT infrastructure vendors has formed to promote best VDI practices. The found members of the coalition are Xiotech, Pano Logic, Silver Peak Systems, Virsto Software and Glasshouse Technologies.

According to Brian Reagan, chief marketing officer of Xiotech, the group is planning its first meeting next month during the Business Development Storage Event, which makes sense given that storage performance is a key VDI inhibitor.

Of course, the group is going to need a lot more vendor weight than it currently has to be successful. But with all the variants of desktop virtualization on the market, Reagan correctly points out that some organization needs to pull together as much relevant guidance as possible on the subject. Otherwise, says Reagan, VDI adoption will surely stall.

By and large, IT organizations are in no mood for experimentation. Unfortunately, it’s become pretty clear that most of the leading vendors are engaged in just that when it comes to VDI. This new coalition may not be the ultimate answer when it comes to advancing the state of VDI, but at least it’s a step in the right direction.